PERCEPTIVE TEAM
Joseph Edelman
Chief Executive Officer & Portfolio Manager
Joseph founded Perceptive Advisors, LLC in 1999. Previously, he was Senior Analyst at Aries Fund, a Paramount Capital Asset Management biotechnology hedge fund, from November 1994 through December 1998. Prior, he was Senior Biotechnology Analyst at Prudential Securities for four years. He started his career in the healthcare sector of the securities industry as Biotechnology Analyst at Labe, Simpson. Joseph earned an M.B.A. from New York University and a B.A., magna cum laude, in psychology from the University of California San Diego.
Adam Stone
Chief Investment Officer & Head of Research
In 2006 Adam Stone joined Perceptive. Prior to Perceptive he was a senior analyst at Ursus Capital. During his five years there he focused on biotech and specialty pharmaceuticals. He graduated, with honors, from Princeton University with a B.A. in molecular biology. Adam serves on the board of directors for several of Perceptive’s portfolio companies, including Solid Biosciences, Renovia, and Xontogeny. Additionally, Adam serves as the CEO of ARYA Sciences Acquisition Corp, and he is a member of Perceptive’s internal investment committees for the credit opportunities and venture funds.
Sam Chawla
Portfolio Manager, Credit
Sam Chawla has over 18 years of experience in healthcare corporate finance and is a member of the investment committee for the credit opportunities funds at Perceptive. Prior to joining Perceptive in 2013, he was Managing Director in the Global Healthcare Group at UBS Investment Bank. Sam has in-depth experience in M&A advisory, underwriting debt and equity financings across healthcare. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Economics and from Georgetown University with a MBA. Sam currently serves as a member on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
Michael Altman, CFA
Managing Director, Med Devices/Diagnostics/MedTech
Michael Altman joined Perceptive in 2007 and is a managing director on the investment team. His focus is on medical devices, diagnostics, digital health and Specialty Pharmaceuticals. He is also a member of the investment committee for the credit opportunities fund. Additionally, Michael serves as the CFO and Director of ARYA Sciences Acquisition Corp II & III. Prior to Perceptive he was a healthcare trader and analyst at First New York Securities. Michael graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Business Administration. Michael serves on the board of directors for Lyra Therapeutics, Nautilus Biotechnology, and Vitruvius Therapeutics.
Hossein Ekrami, PH.D.
Managing Director, Specialty Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology
Hossein Ekrami joined Perceptive in 2007 from healthcare hedge fund Ursus Capital, where he was a Senior Analyst focused on specialty pharmaceuticals, generics, and biotech for more than seven years. Hossein earned his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California and his undergraduate degree, with honors, from London University.
Ellen Hukkelhoven, PH.D.
Managing Director, Biotechnology
Ellen Hukkelhoven joined Perceptive in 2013 as a Senior Biotechnology Analyst. At Perceptive, she focuses on public and private development stage therapeutic companies. Ellen serves on the boards of MeiraGTx, Freenome, Kindbody, AavantiBio and Partner Therapeutics. She is also a member of the Board of Overseers of the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. Prior to Perceptive, Ellen received her PhD in Cancer Biology from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. During her tenure at MSKCC, she founded and built the life sciences division of InSITE, a top graduate fellowship program that helps early stage companies with their most pressing needs. Ellen graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with degrees in molecular biology and finance.
Craig Yeshion, MD
Managing Director, Specialty Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices
Craig Yeshion joined Perceptive in 2016. Prior to joining the firm he was a Portfolio Manager for J. Goldman & Co. covering medical devices and diagnostics from 2012 through 2016. Prior to J. Goldman, he spent 5 years covering medical devices, and biotechnology as a Senior Analyst for Accipiter Capital Management, and 6 years as an analyst for Ursus Capital. Craig received his Medical degree with Honors from the Cornell University Medical College in 1995. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center, and was a physician in private practice from 1995-2000. He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Konstantin Poukalov
Managing Director, Strategy
Konstantin is a Managing Director at Perceptive Advisors focused on various strategies across the Perceptive platforms. Prior to joining Perceptive, Konstantin served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Kadmon from 2014 to 2018. From 2012 to 2014, Konstantin served as Kadmon’s Vice President, Strategic Operations. Prior to joining Kadmon, Konstantin was a member of the healthcare investment banking group at Jefferies LLC from 2009 to 2012, focusing on companies across the life sciences and biotechnology sectors. Prior to Jefferies, Konstantin was a member of UBS Investment Bank, focusing on the healthcare industry, from 2006 to 2009. Konstantin earned Bachelor of Engineering, in Electrical Engineering, from Stony Brook University.
Bill Schwieterman, MD
Managing Director, Regulatory
Bill Schwieterman has been working with the Perceptive investment team since 2006. He recently re-joined the team full time in the spring of 2019 as a Managing Director, specializing in regulatory interactions and clinical development. Bill is a board-certified internist who has worked in a number of different positions within the healthcare industry, including as a reviewer and supervisor at FDA, as Chief Medical Officer for Chelsea Therapeutics, as Chief Executive Officer for Oxigene, Inc., and as a regulatory consultant to dozens of pharmaceutical and biotech companies. He obtained his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, performed his residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, and completed two post-graduate fellowships at the National Institutes of Health.
Keyvan Mirsaeedi-Farahani, MD
Vice President
Keyvan Mirsaeedi-Farahani joined Perceptive in 2016 after earning an MD from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He previously spent two years as an analyst with McKinsey. Keyvan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan with a BS in molecular biology as well as an undergraduate business degree.
Greg Raffo
Head Trader
Greg Raffo joined Perceptive in February, 2010 from Grace Financial Group, a brokerage firm, where he was a sales trader covering the healthcare space. Prior to that he was an equity research analyst for Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. where he covered financial companies. Greg graduated from Wake Forest University in 2003 with a BS in Business.
Sandeep Dixit
Chief Credit Officer
Sandeep Dixit brings 15 years of experience to Perceptive. He was formerly Managing Director, Fort Hill Investment Partners and a Vice President at Fortress Investment Group, Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund. Sandeep has an extensive credit structuring, underwriting and portfolio management background encompassing direct lending, leveraged loans and high yield bonds. He graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Chris Garabedian
Portfolio Manager, Venture
Chris Garabedian founded Xontogeny in June of 2016 to support multiple promising technologies from early development through clinical proof of concept, and formed a partnership with Perceptive in 2017 to establish the firm’s venture fund strategy. As a member of the Perceptive Investment Team, Chris will help source and identify venture opportunities for investment as part of the Xontogeny portfolio and beyond. Chris has a broad base of experience and a track record of success across his 25 years in the pharma and biotech industries, including at two of the most successful biopharma companies over the last 20 years, Gilead and Celgene. Most recently, Chris served as the President and CEO of Sarepta Therapeutics from 2011 to 2015, overseeing the turnaround of a company that is now a commercial stage leader in the genetic technology space after leading the development of the company’s Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy program. Prior to Sarepta, Chris served as VP of Corporate Strategy for Celgene from 2007 to 2010. Prior to Celgene, Chris served in a number of global leadership roles at Gilead from 1997 to 2005, including as VP of Corporate Development, VP of Medical Affairs and VP of Marketing. Chris is currently on the Board of Directors of MassBio, on the Board of Advisors for the Keck Graduate Institute and serves as a Senior Advisor for the Boston Consulting Group.
Fred Callori
Corporate Development, Venture
Fred Callori joined Xontogeny in September 2017 to support the company’s strategic and operational objectives, including providing overall corporate governance, transactional, and strategic advice to Xontogeny’s portfolio of companies. Fred also joined Perceptive in September 2017 to support the firm’s venture fund strategy. As a member of the Perceptive Investment Team, Fred will help source and evaluate venture opportunities for investment as part of the Xontogeny portfolio and beyond. Fred developed deep experience working with early stage life science companies as a partner in the Life Science and Emerging Companies practices of Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP, a Boston law firm ranked among the most active firms worldwide for private equity and venture capital deals. During his 20 year tenure at Choate, Fred advised clients on the formation, structure, financing and overall corporate development of early stage and emerging life science companies, including representing leading venture capital and institutional investment firms focused on investing in the sector. Fred holds a JD from Boston University School of Law and a BA in Economics from Binghamton University.
Harry Jenq, PH.D.
Associate, Biotechnology
Harry Jenq joined Perceptive in 2018 from Millennium Management where he was an analyst focused on the biotech sector. He earned his Ph.D. in bioengineering from Harvard/MIT, and graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with degrees in molecular biology and computer science (minor).
Kunal Kandimalla
Associate, Biotechnology
Kunal joined Perceptive in 2018 and focuses on public and private biotech companies. Previously, he spent five years in business development at Agios Pharmaceuticals and as a biopharma strategy consultant at Putnam Associates. He also spent time in corporate and commercial strategy at Novartis and Sanofi-Genzyme. Kunal holds an M.B.A. in Healthcare Management and Finance from the Wharton School and a B.A. in Economics with honors from the University of Pennsylvania.
Jeremiah Paskus, Ph.D.
Associate, Biotechnology
Jeremiah joined Perceptive in 2021 as an associate and focuses on public and private biotechnology companies. Previously, he was an analyst at a healthcare dedicated long/short equity hedge fund. He spent six years as an intramural fellow at the National Institutes of Health. He earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the National Institutes of Health and Georgetown University Medical Center, and a B.A. in Neuroscience from Franklin & Marshall College.
James Mannix
Chief Operating Officer
Jim Mannix has been at Perceptive since 2006, where he manages the business operations. He has 23 years of experience as a COO, trader and portfolio manager in the equity, options, futures and debt markets. Before joining Perceptive, Jim was COO and Head Trader of the Medici Healthcare Fund, a healthcare sector specific hedge fund that he helped launch. Prior to Medici, he worked as a Portfolio Manager for ETG, LLC, where he managed long and short U.S. equities and options. Prior, he worked at Lehman Brothers as both an equity and debt trader. He graduated with a B.A. from Boston College.
Peter Fierro
Chief Financial Officer
Peter Fierro joined Perceptive in 2007 and is responsible for all aspects of the funds’ accounting. Prior to joining Perceptive, he was a manager at Rothstein, Kass & Co., P.C. (now KPMG LLP) and BISYS-RK Alternative Investment Services, Inc. (now SS&C Globe Op) where he gained 7 years’ experience auditing and administering various hedge fund portfolios. Peter graduated with highest honors from Rutgers University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He is a certified public accountant, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJSCPA).
Alexander Rakitin
Chief Compliance Officer
Alexander Rakitin is the Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to joining Perceptive in 2017, Mr. Rakitin was a Senior Compliance Officer responsible for all aspects of the compliance program for the Ventures and Private Investments divisions at Two Sigma Investments where he worked since 2012. Prior to taking on those responsibilities at Two Sigma, Alex was responsible for the firm’s Core Compliance program as well as the compliance program for marketing and investor communications across the Asia-Pacific region. Before joining Two Sigma, Alex worked at Owl Creek Asset Management and GlobeOp Investor Services while pursuing a Law Degree at New York Law School. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.S. degree and is a member of the New York State Bar Association.
Patrick Morrow
Director of Investor Relations & Marketing
Patrick Morrow is the Director of Investor Relations & Marketing. Prior to joining Perceptive in 2017, Patrick was Vice President in the Private Capital Group at Jefferies LLC which raised over $13 billion of institutional capital for private equity funds and private financings during his tenure. Previously, he was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Recapitalization & Restructuring Group at Jefferies LLC. Mr. Morrow graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in International Studies focusing on World Economy & Business.
Samuel Cohn
Chief Financial Officer, Credit & Venture
Samuel Cohn is responsible for managing the financial operations for the credit and venture funds, and assists in this area across the firm. Sam joined Perceptive in 2016 from Fortress Investment Group where he was a Senior Accountant working on the Fortress Credit Opportunities Funds. Prior to that, he was an associate at Deloitte LLP focused on the audits of private equity funds. Sam received a BA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, an MBA from Rutgers Business School and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
Steven Berger
Operations Manager
Steven Berger joined Perceptive in 2006 as Operations Manager. Prior to this, Steve worked at First New York Securities, LLC as both a Senior Operations Representative and an operations Manager from 1992 to 2006. Prior Mr. Berger was an Operations Manager with Dean Witter Reynolds for six years. Steven received an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Kingsborough Community College.
Louisa Rivera
Investor Relations & Administration
Louisa Rivera has been at Perceptive since 2004, assisting the Portfolio Manager and COO in the day-to-day business operations. Prior to this she was Administrative Manager for Josephson, Luxenberg & Kance, P.C., CPA. Louisa also worked at Lehman Brothers as an Executive Assistant in the Investment Banking Division. Ms. Rivera attended LaGuardia College where she majored in Business Administration.
Allison Benmen
Executive Assistant, Research
Allison Benmen joined the Perceptive team in 2015, providing administrative support to the Chief Investment Officer and Senior Analysts in day-to-day business operations. Prior to this, she was an Event Coordinator for NYC based hospitality company The Line Group. Allison attended Indiana University where she majored in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management.
Nicole Booth
Assistant Controller
Nicole Booth joined Perceptive in 2018 as Fund Accountant. Prior to this, Nicole worked at HedgeServ where she was a Fund Accounting Manager with experience on the Client Onboarding/Implementation team. She also worked in forensic accounting and business valuation as a Financial Analyst at Financial Research Associates and as a Senior Audit Associate in financial services practice at KPMG. Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Salisbury University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
Gabriel Gutierrez
Analyst, Credit
Gabriel joined Perceptive in 2020 after spending two years as an analyst in JPMorgan’s investment banking division focusing on underwriting debt transactions in the healthcare space. Gabriel graduated with honors from Cornell University with a B.S. in Biology and Society and a minor in Applied Economics & Management.
Dorian Slavov
Senior Fund Accountant
Dorian joined Perceptive in 2020 as a Fund Accountant. Prior to this, Dorian worked at GoldenTree Asset Management where he was a Fund Accountant. Prior to GoldenTree, he also worked as a Senior Auditor at Ernst & Young where he focused on audit valuation processes and control testing with respect to clients’ valuation processes. Dorian earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Ramapo College of New Jersey and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.
Brian Koniuch
Fund Accountant
Brian joined Perceptive in 2020 as a Fund Accountant. Prior to this, Brian worked as a Senior Audit Associate in the financial services practice at KPMG. Brian earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Fairfield University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Connecticut.
Doug Giordano
Managing Director, Strategy
Doug Giordano is currently a Managing Director at Perceptive Advisers. Prior to joining Perceptive, Doug served as the Senior Vice President, Pfizer Worldwide Business Development Group, from 2007 through 1st Quarter 2021. Doug was responsible for leading Pfizer’s evaluation, negotiation and execution of product licensing, partnerships and M&A transactions. Under Doug’s leadership Pfizer deployed over $125B of capital to business development across a wide range of transaction types from venture investing, biotech licensing through large scale M&A. Doug also led Pfizer’s IPO/split-off of Zoetis, Pfizer’s consumer JV with GSK, Pfizer’s carve out and stand up of companies like Cerevel, Spring Works and Allogene; and the recently closed spin/merger of Viatris.
Before leading Pfizer’s Worldwide Business Development group, Doug held positions of increasing responsibility within Pfizer’s U.S. Pharmaceuticals Group including roles in finance, manufacturing and commercial strategy. Prior to joining Pfizer, Doug was a consultant at Booz, Allen & Hamilton.
Doug earned a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business. He currently serves on the Board of Cerevel Therapeutics and is a member of the Duke University School of Medicine Board of Visitors.
Tim Grabis
Trader
Tim Grabis joined Perceptive in 2021 from Lombard Odier Asset Management, a multi-manager, where he was focused on Equity L/S and Long Only strategies. Prior to that, he was an Equity Trader at Jefferies focused on Industrials, Materials, and Energy. Tim graduated from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2015 with a BS in Finance.